They look very similar to "Macaroni penguins." Like other penguins, they spend most of their life at sea. They spend the period from May to September at sea. On Macquarie Island rookeries of up to half a million birds cover as much as 16� acres (6�7 hectares) of coastal terraces.
Two pale bluish eggs are laid in a nest of small stones or even bones from penguin skeletons. Only one is incubated. The incubation period is about five weeks. The male does the first ten days, then goes to sea, returning a week before the egg hatches. He then gaurds the chick for 2 to 3 weeks, when small cr�ches form. All the penguins have gone to sea by the end of April.
They are listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN because they're found only in one location. A natural or human caused catastrophe could dramaticly reduce the Royal penguin population. There are estimated to be about 850,000 pairs of Royal penguins. Between 1894 and 1914 an important oil industry was based on this spieces, about 150,000 birds were being taken every season without serious long-term effects on the population.